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University Council Minutes December 11, 2024

Wednesday, 12/11/24, 3:30 p.m. Via Zoom
Present: A. Rosenfeld., D. DeFino, M. Bard, C. Carlson, M. Higgins, S. Petrovich, O. Murillo, L. Paroski, C. DelliCarpini, L. Roca, S. Carey, T. Mulligan, J. DeMellis, K. Dhanwada, J. Stabile, C. Winkler, E. Procario-Foley, J. Robinson, C. Smith, I. Stabell, N. Vidal-Finnerty, M. Callaghan, J. Steele

Excused: M. Beckwith, M. Hughes, Y. Kang, A. Qayyum, R. Richardson, M. Volza
A. Rosenfeld called the meeting to order at 3:34pm. Quorum was met.

Approval of Minutes:

Minutes for the 11/6/24 meeting of the University Council were approved via e-mail on 11/25/2

Announcements:

None

Information Item: President’s Report

  • Susan Fiore has begun her tenure as Iona’s new General Counsel
  • Thanks to the Provost, deans, faculty and staff, reaccreditation visits for the LaPenta School of Business and the Marriage & Family Therapy program were successful; final steps pending
  • Iona received an NSF grant geared toward improving undergraduate STEM education (S. Lee), and a $3.25 Million grant under the Augustus F. Hawkins Center of Excellence awarded to the Education Department (K. Gmuer and C. Hardigree) to advance teacher preparation and diversify recruitment
  • AI@Iona outreach initiatives to partner with local K-12 schools were launched this term, including a pilot project with Yonkers School District
  • The work of the inaugural Gabelli Presidential and Provost Fellows is underway, and will continue through the Spring term
  • Applications for our incoming freshman class are up 20% over last year
  • The Presidential Speaker Series will continue in the Spring term, with D. Graham Burnett in February, and Shannon Vallor in April (Dr. Vallor will deliver the annual Driscoll Lecture)
  • Facilities has been working around the clock on several strategic projects, including the relocation of the Advising Center, renovations to the LaPenta Dining Hall, and the repurposing of spaces for the Gabelli Center and Graduate Admissions; planning continues on upgrades to the Media Center and Organic Chemistry Lab; and the university continues to work with municipalities on permissions for the Upper Green project (NR) and Baseball Field (Bronxville)
  • The annual Holiday Party will be held at 3:30 on 12/18 in the LaPenta atrium

Information Item: Provost’s Report

  • Thanks to the LaPenta School of Business dean, faculty and staff for a successful reaccreditation visit
  • Fall grades are due on 12/19; faculty are urged to continue to report any student issues through Gael 360
  • The Board of Trustees has approved the new faculty workload policy; roll-out will begin in Fall 2025
  • Spring classes begin earlier than usual, on 1/14/25, which is prior to MLK Day

Information Item: Core Curriculum Committee Report

  • CCC met on 11/7, 11/21 and 12/5
  • Two new Fall 25 COL 150 instructors have been recruited (one more section is still needed), and schedules are being finalized
  • Recruitment for January and May assessment scoring continues
  • CCC responded to several queries from students and faculty regarding CSA uploads; upload rates are trending with or above previous terms
  • CCC evaluated several new courses for Core inclusion
  • Learning Communities have been discontinued; beginning in Fall 2025, all COL 150 courses will be taught as stand-alone

Information Item: Reports from Constituent Assemblies

Faculty Senate

  • The Senate met on 12/5
  • The Senate reviewed proposed changes to Faculty Senate constitution, and agreed to vote on those changes via e-mail
  • The Senate discussed the possibility of inviting several officers of the University to attend future meetings
  • The Senate raised concerns about how faculty would be expected to respond to potential campus immigration enforcement actions by federal agencies; inquiries will be made to the administration and campus security

Staff and Administrative Council

  • No report

Student Government Association

  • SGA meetings are held every Thursday at 3:30pm
  • SGA hosted the Provost and M. Richter from Gael Go Further at its 11/14 meeting
  • SGA held its last meeting of the term on 12/5, approving 5 new senators and 4 new student clubs

Information item: Reports from the Standing Committees

Committee on Rank, Tenure and Awards

  • No report

Committee on Academic Affairs

  • CAA met on 12/3
  • A new M.S. program in Healthcare Leadership & Innovation was approved (see Action Item below)

Committee on Budget

  • No report

Committee on Human Resources and Compensation

  • No report

Committee on Libraries and Information Technology

  • LIT met on 12/4
  • The committee discussed updates to the Libraries Use Policy, and how to address the issue of members of the public using library facilities without permission
  • The committee discussed faculty and staff AI workshops, and efforts to help students with AI questions
  • UDrive will be decommissioned on 12/9
  • Blackboard Ultra will be the platform for all courses moving forward; boot camps have been scheduled for December and January
  • Phishing and other scam e-mails have become more prevalent: members of the Iona community are urged to be vigilant
  • Because e-mails are not encrypted, Iona community members are urged not to use it to send bank account numbers, SSN, or any other personal information; if this information must be shared electronically, OneDrive is a more secure method
  • OneDrive training will be held on 12/12 at 10am via Zoom

Committee on Institutional Advancement

  • ADV met on 11/18
  • The SVP of Advancement & External Affairs, G. Grant, introduced himself, and reviewed challenges and strategies
  • The committee discussed the Spring faculty and staff campaign
  • The committee discussed priorities for identifying and pursuing donors

Committee on Student Life

  • STL met on 11/22
  • Homecoming was a great success, with extensive participation and over 750 registrants for the parent reception
  • The Iona Singers performed as part of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular on 12/6
  • Iona’s Irish Dance team earn three first-place finishes at the Villanova Intercollegiate Irish Dance Festival on 11/16
  • The fraternity and sorority community now includes 284 members, including 20 newly-inducted members of the Order of Omega
  • Applications for Fall 2025 admissions are up 20% YTD

Committee on Athletics

  • No report

Committee on Diversity

  • COD met on 12/6
  • Discussion continued concerning how to raise awareness about DEIB events and overall goals
  • A. Munsch reviewed the list from the upcoming Speaker Series
  • The committee discussed various educational collaborations (events and proposals) meant to increase DEIB awareness and inclusivity

Committee on Enrollment Management

  • No report

Committee for Environmental Sustainability

  • CES met on 12/3
  • K. Griffith gave a report on service learning, in particular environmental projects
  • There are currently two active composting sites (Montgomery House, Pryor Terrace) where cafeteria food scraps are being processed
  • The committee discussed installing a drip line in the Montgomery raised bed garden, to allow it to operate over summer months, as well as the prospect of a summer community garden
  • · Discussions for a proposed spring Earth Week continued
  • · K. Cawley shared his continuing efforts to bring students to the United Nations, beginning in the spring term

Action item: M.S. in Healthcare Leadership & Innovation

  • The Council voted unanimously to endorse the new program


    There being no other business, A. Rosenfeld adjourned the University Council meeting at 4:07pm. The final fall meeting of the Council will be held on 1/29/25.